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Ubisoft’s PC DRM Leaves Anno 2070 and Driver: San Francisco Unplayable

Sam Naylor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:30:19 +0000

Ubisoft recently performed a server switch which led to some of its games being rendered unplayable (to paying customers only).

Two of the games which were left unplayable were Anno 2070 and Driver: San Francisco.

The company’s twitter account has apologised for the problems the server switch caused:

We apologize for the inconvenience, it seems some of you can’t connect to games announced as playable during migration.

Before the server switch Ubisoft had said that both Anno 2070 and Driver: San Francisco would not be affected. Of course, for pirates who do not experience DRM, they were right. Those players got better treatment than the paying ones.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Confirms Server Types and Rulesets

Jensen Walker — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:45:21 +0000

Regular viewers of the Star Wars: The Old Republic forums have known about BioWare’s server decisions for some time, but today BioWare Community Manager David Bass has reaffirmed the four server types which will be available at launch and further explained PvP server rulesets.

The four server types available are PvE, PvP, RP-PvE and RP-PvP, which is fairly standard. RP-PvP servers were only recently added, but with their inclusion BioWare has covered all the bases. Due to RP-PvP servers being a late addition, the server type is not available for selection when using the pre-launch guild program. Those interested in RP-PvP servers will need to manually form their guild on their chosen server post launch.

In regards to RP server rulesets, players are encouraged to roleplay and act ‘in character.’ Beyond this no additional rules have been announced at this time. All servers are subject to BioWare’s naming policy, which prohibits players from using names well known in the Star Wars lexicon, such as Palpatine or Skywalker.

When it comes to PvP rulesets, the most obvious conclusion is that everyone is fair game. There are exceptions, however. SWTOR contains a number of sanctuaries, large areas where PvP may not take place, regardless of whether you are flagged or unflagged for PvP. Sanctuaries include Origin Worlds (Tython, Ord Mantell, Hutta, and Korriban), the Capital Worlds for both factions (Dromund Kaas and Coruscant), and the Republic/Imperial Fleets.

You can view the full post over at the SWTOR forums.

Sony Online (SOE) Services Taken Down – Batman Is Super Pissed (Update)

Dave Oshry — Mon, 02 May 2011 20:54:02 +0000

UPDATE: This is not a secondary attack, the servers have been taken down due to concerns related to the original intrusion. Yet, as many as 25 million credit cards linked to SOE accounts may have been compromised. However, you will get a free month of DCUO, so it’s not all bad news ^__^

If you’ve tried to login to DCUO, Everquest, FreeRealms or any other Sony Online game today, there’s a good reason you’ve been unable to. The reason? They’ve taken the SOE services down.

Here is what they’ve stated:

We have had to take the SOE service down temporarily. In the course of our investigation into the intrusion into our systems we have discovered an issue that warrants enough concern for us to take the service down effective immediately. We will provide an update later today (Monday). We apologize for any inconvenience and greatly appreciate your patience.

Better safe than sorry in my opinion.

In the meantime, feel free to go play World of Warcraft, RIFT or any other number of MMO‘s to help you waste your life away. ^__^

Square Enix Shut Down Servers to Save Power

Sam Naylor — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 17:59:55 +0000

Square Enix have shut down a number of their servers for at least a week following the earthquake in Japan in a bid to save power for those who need it.

Japanese authorities have advised that as much power be saved as possible and as such Square Enix have closed the severs for Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XI and PlayOnline:

The services will be temporarily suspended for at least a week starting on Mar. 13, 2011 3:00 (PDT). We will provide an update regarding the reinstatement of the service as additional information becomes available. In connection with the temporary suspension of services, players will not be billed for any PlayOnline service throughout the April billing cycle. Additional information regarding this matter will also be posted as it becomes available.

Activision Could Close PSN CoD: Black Ops servers

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 02:38:35 +0000

It’s no secret PS3 owners of CoD: Black Ops have had continual connection issues. The situation has grown more frustrating with Infinity Ward blaming Sony for for the recent problems with hacks and exploits.

In response to vocal criticism from PS3 owners, Activision Senior support representative Dov Carson replied to blogger Jason Koblovsky’s complaints by advising that Activision could potentially close PSN servers:

Well I have nothing else to offer and I too follow forums and have many friends who play and enjoy the game for all of its features. As an avid gamer, I would also disagree with any legalities involving a single aspect of a game as online experience may change at any time. The publishers have the right to shut down the servers for their game at any time as well which based on the number of reported posts from users may be a viable solution over the free PSN.

In any event, if you would like to send your game disc into us, we can either;

a) Exchange for a sealed (unopened) copy of the game that you can take back to the retailer

b) Swap for another platform

c) Exchange for another Activision title of equal or lesser value.

These are the options that we are able to offer to you as a one time courtesy.

Let us know how you would like to proceed.

It sounds like frustration level for all parties involved is hitting a fever pitch. Unfortunately, cooperation between all parties will be essential for these issues to be properly addressed.

Source

APB Servers to Close Tomorrow

Sam Naylor — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:58:31 +0000

Realtime Worlds’ unfortunately failed MMO All Points Bulletin will close its servers tomorrow, EDGE reports.

From the official announcement:

“APB has been a fantastic journey, but unfortunately that journey has come to a premature end. Today we are sad to announce that despite everyone’s best efforts to keep the service running; APB is coming to a close. It’s been a pleasure working on APB and with all its players. Together we were building an absolutely amazing game, and for that, we thank you. You guys are awesome!

From all of the Realtime World staff we thank you for your continued support.

The servers are still up, so join the party and say goodbye!

- Ben ‘APBMonkey’ Bateman (Community Officer)”

It’s a real shame for both the developer (despite already going under) and the players who have been paying out for the game.

Don’t say Ripten didn’t warn you . . .

Is APB Already Dying?

RealTime Worlds Facing Closure and Liquidation

Eye of Judgment Servers Close this September

Sam Naylor — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 22:01:18 +0000

According to a post on the European PlayStation forums, the servers to facilitate online play for Eye of Judgment will be closed down this September.

Sony had this to say:

We at SCEE sincerely thank you for your continued support of THE EYE OF JUDGMENT™. The online battle service for this product will terminate on 30 September 2010. Offline play will remain available even after the conclusion of online service.

Oh, really? We can still play offline? Thanks! That’s so generous! If only all games companies were like you, Sony. I know for a fact that most companies will physically come round and snap every disc so online and offline play is impossible (if their game is not as much of a success as they wanted it to be). Sony have rejected that, however, and should be considered for some sort of award.

Some fans are thinking of moving to the PSP version, but this really is a slap in the face to a small but dedicated community. Think of the investment in those cards that’s been wasted.

LittleBigPlanet Servers Are Back Up

Sam Naylor — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:23:58 +0000

Kotaku reports that the LittleBigPlanet servers are back up, after a turbulent startup: The servers were switched on three days ago, only to be turned off again due to glitches. The man with the hair reports:

Soon after booting up my Playstation 3 and starting up the game I was asked to download a 20 meg or so patch that brought my copy of LittleBigPlanet up to version 1.03. After the update I was able to connect and even publish a crap level I created. I also managed to play through some other amazing levels with friends. The only issue I had was some slow down in create mode when I tried to undo multiple accidents.

Any Riptenites having luck with this? Try connecting to the LBP servers, and let us know what your results in the comments!

Media Molecule: LittleBigPlanet Servers Are Down Due to Reports of Lag and Glitching

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:01:10 +0000

If you tried to play with your Sackboy last night, you likely powered down your PS3 with a LittleBigFrown. Yes, Media Molecule was forced to shut down operations due to some unfortunate reports of glitching experienced by players.

The following statement was issued as an update on the MM site:

Great gremlins and ghosts! The servers are down while we try to fix the glitching issues some players have experienced. They will be back online as soon as we have fixed the problem. Keep your browsers pointed at this post for updates.

So there you have it. Stay tuned as we plan to update you as soon as we hear something.

Source: mediamolecule.com

Metal Gear Offline Beta Delayed Indefinitely Update

Patrick Steen — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:04:50 +0000

Konami have had a lot of trouble with the Metal Gear Online Beta, from wrong codes, to mysterious Konami and Gamer ID’s. Events have gone from bad to worse, with their servers being unable to hack the influx of players. The Beta is delayed indefinitely in the US and Europe, and has been officially delayed until the 25th April in Japan.

Don’t worry though, this is what Beta’s are for. Hopefully with our patient help, the launch of the retail game will be a smooth process without this list of problems. As for the Beta, there will be another announcement tomorrow as to when it will be up and running again:

We would like to thank all players for their keen interest in taking part in the beta test. However, we regret to inform you that due to extraordinary levels of traffic from all around the globe, we have been unable to run the service to the level we expected.

As a temporary measure, we will be deferring the start of the US public beta test until we are able to stabilize our server. We would like to apologize for all inconveniences as well as confusion caused.

We would like to add that due to the above reasons, we will be making the following changes to the schedule:

1) Starting date: TBA. We will be making another announcement on 22/4/2008 23:00(PDT)
2) Beta Test closure: This will now be on 11/05/2008 at 24:00(PDT) rather than 06/05/2008 at 24:00(PDT)

At least the Beta has been extended. How long will the delay be? We expect it to launch at the same time as the Japan Beta, which was meant to continue online despite problems in the US and Europe. The Japan Beta will relaunch this Friday:

Japan plans to resume beta test: 2008.04.25 (Friday) until midnight.
Japanese beta test completion date: 2008.05.11 (days) until midnight.

It’s at times like these that we should remind ourselves patience is a virtue and gaming is a luxury… Yeah, right.

Source: Konami.jp

*Update* – Konami’s website has now been updated to include the US and Europe in the April 25th relaunch date:

Start date: Planned for 04/25/2008 24:00(PDT). While the start is planned for the weekend, it may change due to unforseen circumstances.

No, we don’t like the possibility of further delays either.

360 Holiday Sales Wreak Havoc on Xbox LIVE Servers – Seriously

Dan Landis — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 00:38:05 +0000

All I want for Christmas is to play online, but Microsoft won’t let me

As of Wednesday the 26th, my experience with Xbox LIVE could best be described as “inconsistent”. I am randomly and sporadically kicked off of the service, and by that, I mean any time I try to do something — anything.

To make sure this wasn’t an isolated case of shitty broadband service on the part of my cable provider, or a local “malfunction”, I rang up some friends in various parts of the country to see if they were having similar issues — they were.

Around noon today, my annoyance got the best of me, and I called up 1-800-4my-xbox. I was greeted, as always, by the never-helpful automated super-dork — Max.

I’ve been down this road before, so I know to skip past his bullshit by spouting off “Agent” a hundred times until he finally gets the hint.

Anyhow, long story short, the agent tells me that the Xbox LIVE servers are having difficulty dealing with the massive influx of users that apparently got a 360 for Christmas. “Seriously?” I asked. “Yes, seriously” he responded.

In fact, it’s such a problem, that they have temporarily disabled the ability to create a new LIVE account. I went ahead and tried to create an account (out of curiosity) and I wasn’t able to.

I am unsure if this is the “official” Microsoft stance regarding the issue, but it does seem logical, and it did come straight from the mouth of a Microsoft employee — Tier 3 even! His Thetan levels must be off the chart.

The agent estimated that the problems will be fixed by the end of the weekend, if not by the end of the night. So I guess I just want to say “thank you” to Microsoft for making such a killer system. If it weren’t so awesome, I might actually be able to sign into the Chromehounds servers and, you know, play some freaking games.